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| 1858: Rising
Brook Baptist, Stafford, England |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Harry Lewjah.
The church:
Rising Brook
Baptist, Stafford, England.
Denomination:
Baptist Union
of Great Britain.
The building:
A large, modern building with main hall and several other meeting
rooms. The words "Rising Brook Baptist Church" appear
in large letters on the side. It looks like a church and is
tastefully decorated. There was carpeting throughout. There
were several stage areas separated from each other. It looked
as though the stages could be pushed together to form a large
stage for normal church use. The overall lighting was dim, as
this was a candlelight service, but the stages were spot-lit
and there were several displays of candles all around the room.
These provided an ambient glow that added to the atmosphere
of the service.
The church:
They are involved in dozens of ministries and outreaches too
numerous to mention here. The reader is respectfully referred
to their website for details.
The neighbourhood:
Stafford is a small market town and is the county town of Staffordshire.
There are quite a few amenities in the town, including a leisure
centre, bowling, restaurants, clubs and pubs, a cinema, and
several technology (industrial) parks. There is also a campus
of Staffordshire University. The Staffordshire County Showground
is situated a couple of miles outside the town and is a venue
for county shows, fairs, exhibitions, etc. Some might call Stafford
boring, but it has enough to get by. Of course, it can't compete
with the bright lights of Birmingham and Wolverhampton, each
about 20 miles away.
The cast:
The Revd Martin Young, senior minister and team leader.
The date & time:
Sunday, 20 December 2009, 6.00pm.
What was the name of the service?
Christmas Carol Service.
How full was the building?
The building was full, about 300 to 350 people.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
A lovely lady on the door introduced herself and welcomed me
with a handshake and a smile. I noticed she welcomed most people
this way. Others whom she knew better she greeted with a kiss.
Was your pew comfortable?
Comfortable padded seats.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
A good buzz with people greeting each other. There seemed to be quite a few returning to the church who had been away, from the general conversations I could hear. People were gathering in the foyer with a mad rush for the seats when the doors were opened.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Good evening. Can we all stand and we'll sing 'O Come
All Ye Faithful'."
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
No books. All the words were projected onto a large screen that dominated.
What musical instruments were played?
Piano, violin, electric guitar, bass guitar, trumpet, sax, and
drums.
Did anything distract you?
The only thing that distracted me was halfway through the service
a baby had a coughing fit. The mother did take the baby out
after a few minutes. The auditorium was a little too warm, but
it was full, so maybe that was a factor. Better too warm than
too cold!
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
The carols were played in a classical, traditional style with
the full band and a choir of about 30 people. The choir was
not miked up so they were lost in the singing of the congregation.
The band was very good and played confidently, especially the
trumpet player. The drummer was quite sensitive as well. Drummers
can dominate in some worship services. But unlike your traditional
carol service, there was a lot of multi-media input. Too much,
in fact. The filming had obviously been done in-house and was
very good, but there was a lot of it and not enough human content
to the service. There was a drama that tried to depict the three
wise men getting into Israel through the passport control. I
thought this was quite irreverent and not in keeping with the
rest of the service.
Exactly how long was the
sermon?
7 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
5 – The preacher tried to put a lot into the short time
he preached. He didn't use any notes and seemed to have rehearsed
what he was going to say as if it was a performance.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The shepherds and kings were all on a journey. We are also on
a journey, to encounter God, just like the disciples on the
Emmaus road. And just like those disciples, our hearts could
burn within us.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
The music was very heavenly, especially singing "Silent
Night."
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The stampede to get in when the doors opened, the barrage of
multi-media, the skit about the wise men. Also, the hall where
refreshments were served afterwards was quite cold compared
to the warm main hall.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
A lot of people were renewing relationships in their own little
groups. A couple of people did come over and talk to me for
a few minutes and told me a little about the church.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
Fruity, warm mulled wine (non-alcoholic). It was quite pleasant.
There were mince pies as well, but I didn't partake of those.
Squash was available for the children.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
4 – This service was too impersonal, but probably not a typical service.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
The singing did, but not the stampede at the start.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
"Silent Night." |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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